What Happens to Pacquiao If He Can’t Stop Cotto?

By Manuel Perez: Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2. 37 KO’s) better hope that he can stop Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KO’s) as early as possible in this fight, because once Cotto gets his train started, Pacquiao is going to be in for a world of hurt on November 14th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. What we’re looking at here is a fighter that has had it easy in his last seven fights (with the exception of Pacquiao’s fight against Juan Manuel Marquez), defeating most of his opponents early on without having to take very much punishment in the process.

Pacquiao has been able to move up in weight recently and still win without getting hit all that much because of his selective match making. Oscar De La Hoya was a light middleweight at the time that Pacquiao fought him and was forced to melt down to 147 to take the fight.

In effect, De La Hoya was a weight drained, older light middleweight. Instead of facing De La Hoya, Pacquiao – if he wanted to prove himself – should have fought either James Kirkland, Sergio Martinez, Paul Williams or Alfredo Angulo instead of a shot De La Hoya. All of these fighters would have been a better test for Pacquiao if he was interested in fighting a light middleweight.

Let’s face it; those guys would have knocked Pacquiao cold if they had fought him even with a weight draining catch weight because they are all in their prime, whereas De La Hoya clearly wasn’t. The same applies to Hatton.

If Pacquiao wanted to fight a light welterweight, why didn’t he fight Timothy Bradley, Kendall Holt or Marcos Maidana instead? All of them were in their prime at the time that Pacquiao fought Hatton and I considered all of them as better fighters than Hatton at this point. For some reason, Pacquiao chose not to fight them. I wonder why?

Now, Pacquiao is going to be fighting Cotto instead of Shane Mosley, Paul Williams and Andre Berto. Although Cotto is still in his prime, there are questions about whether he’s the same fighter he once was after losing to Antonio Margarito by an 11th round TKO last year. Why didn’t Pacquiao fight Mosley, Berto or Williams if he wanted to fight a welterweight?

Cotto may or may not be the same fighter he once was, but I think Pacquiao is in for big trouble if he can’t get Cotto out of there as quickly as possible. Cotto hits much harder than any opponent that Pacquiao has fought before and doesn’t have to load up with his shots to hit really hard. Pacquiao is going to be in for a shock if he can’t score a quick knockout because for once, he won’t be the stronger fighter.

I think Hatton was stronger than Pacquiao but he messed up by getting taken out so quickly and didn’t get much of a chance to show his power in that fight. Cotto has a better chin than Hatton, and will be able to take Pacquiao’s shots early in the fight without folding up. I think Cotto is going to rip Pacquiao apart as the rounds go on after he realizes how much bigger and stronger he is compared to the little Filipino.

This is going to be fun to watch because it will show what would have likely happened had Pacquiao fought a fighter in his prime like Mosley, Williams, Berto, Kirkland, Maidana or Bradley instead of someone on the downside of their careers.

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Distractions may trip up Mayweather and Pacquiao

Distractions, that’s what some wishful thinkers say will bring down Manny Pacquiao.
He’s making movies. He writes his Kumbinayson newspaper column. He is gearing up his political machinery for a run for elective office in Sarrangani.
He hobnobs with others who are rich and famous. For tax purposes, he may begin training in the Bahamas or Mexico. Those plans seem uncertain.
His Nov. 14 opponent, the formidable WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, is already in the gym and has begun the arduous work for their big PPV bout.
But I’m beginning to think (always a dangerous action for the WG) that it is archenemy Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is the real, bona fide distracted fighter on the eve his key comeback bout Sept. 19 against Pacman nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez.
Let me explain why, treehuggers, Pachuggers and those of you like the poor shut-in Floydfan#1 who simply need a warm hug.
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Mayweather-Marquez fight lost among the Pacquiao-Cotto conversations

Or should I say Pacquiao-Cotto is a press conference while Mayweather-Marquez is a conversation. If there is any doubt left as to who the real pound-for-pound and face of boxing is, all anyone really has to look at is the hype created by the proposed Pacquiao-Cotto fight compared to the Mayweather-Marquez clash announced last May.
Even at the absence of a signed fight contract, boxing fans are already eating the proposed Pacquiao-Cotto mega-fight up while Floyd Mayweather Jr. is desperately stirring up controversy and attention towards himself with controversial comments on top of the other and yet little interest has been generated for his comeback fight against Marquez. You can say Floyd is a "mom-and-pop" while Pacquiao is a corporation. And before Mariah Carey starts tripping on me for using her analogies, I guess it's plain to see that Manny Pacquiao right now is the spoon that stirs the boxing soup. And if boxing was indeed soup, it's fair to say it's sinigang flavored right now because of Pacquiao.
Every move he makes, and does not make is followed by unprecedented media coverage. Ironically Pacquiao has been scarce in terms of interviews and sound bytes as he has opted to have his team to handle most of the media dealings which leaves me to wonder how long Mayweather can live under the Pacquiao shadow.
Coincidentally, Pacquiao and Cotto's proposed November 14 bout is in jeopardy and if Money plays his cards right, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to finally silence all the critics together with the people he considers as "idiots" that shower Pacquiao with what to him sounds as annoying flatteries and baseless acknowledgment.
Time to pay Marquez some step-aside change and they can have him fight someone like Joan Guzman instead, who coincidentally was signed by Golden Boy this week. If Floyd wants to stay significant and insist that he is boxing's cash cow and top dog, he needs to prove it in the box office by staging mega-fights the world wants to see. Sadly, the world has not responded to his "Number One vs Numero Uno" fight accordingly.
It's time to change the script and go straight to the main thorn in his paw. Why risk waiting for 2010 and the fight not to happen. If Pacquiao ins't someone he is concerned with, then why can't he seem to stop talking about Pacquiao? Let's face it, this is the one fight the world wants to see with Fedor and Lesnar in the wings as a close second. If the powers that be truly want this fight to happen, allow me to pose the question. What better time than now?
And for Floyd, the fastest way to reclaim his throne is to unseat the current king himself. If he truly is confident of his abilities, then why wouldn't he want to do it? Especially with all the riches that will come with it.
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Floyd trainer hails Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines -- While Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues to verbally lambaste Manny Pacquiao, his uncle and trainer is slowly becoming a believer of the Filipino ring icon. 
Roger Mayweather initially thought Pacquiao would get smothered by much-bigger foes Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. But the current pound-for-pound king proved him wrong. 
"I did think that Ricky Hatton would whoop Pacquiao. Obviously, I was wrong," Mayweather told fightfan.com.
Mayweather, much like his nephew and his brother Floyd Sr., is known for his penchant for trash-talking -- a widely acknowledged trait of the Mayweather boxing clan.
But this time, he has some good words for Pacquiao, who is slated to face his fourth "big" opponent in welterweight star Miguel Cotto this November.
"He's (Pacquiao) got some serious balls. Fighting Miguel Cotto… De La Hoya… Ricky Hatton. All of those guys are much bigger than he is," the corner man said.
Pacquiao, who debuted as a flyweight (112 lbs.), has fought his last three fights in the lightweight (135 lbs.), welterweight (147 lbs.) and junior welterweight (140 lbs.) divisions against David Diaz, De La Hoya and Hatton, respectively. 
Mayweather, however, is not completely sold on Pacquiao, saying he is not banking on the General Santos City-based southpaw to beat Cotto. 
"I don't think he's going to beat Cotto," he said. "He's fighting a guy who can make the weight, and who's a pretty good puncher. I've got to see him beat Cotto… I've got to see it with my own eyes."
And if Pacquiao rolls over Cotto like he did with De La Hoya and Hatton? 
"I'll be amazed," Mayweather quipped.
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Pacquiao vs Cotto: Doesn’t anybody fight for BLOOD anymore?

By P.H. Burbridge - The Miguel Cotto – Manny Pacquiao fight has hit a bit of a snag. A major snag actually! We were led to believe by Bob Arum that this showdown was a done deal and that November 14th was all systems “go”. I think most of us just assumed it would be for Cotto’s WBO title so to find out that the title wasn’t even part of the initial discussion is a bit puzzling. My question is why would Manny Pacquiao fight Miguel Cotto if the title wasn’t on the line? I thought the whole point of him moving up in weight was to make history so I’m a little surprised that this is even being discussed at this juncture. It should have been ironed out right when these talks began. Bob Arum is acting puzzled about all this in the press but he must have known that the lack of a title belt had the potential to upset Pacquiao. AND, from Team Pacquiao’s perspective why wasn’t this addressed earlier? Arum and Pacquiao’s advisors were going back and forth for weeks on the terms of this deal before Manny accepted it on principal so how could this have been overlooked? Isn’t that why you guys came to the table in the first place?

There’s plenty of blame to go around.

Now, we have this situation where Pacquiao is insisting that the title be on the line so he can challenge history and is offering to pay ALL the sanctioning fees himself. Interesting! Miguel Cotto is playing a very shrewd game here. He could be painting Pacquiao into a corner so that he can walk into the ring at the welterweight limit thusly removing any advantage Manny Pacquiao could have physically but more importantly psychologically going in to this fight. A little gamesmanship from Miguel… I like it and I have to be honest that it never even occurred to me until I heard about it but it makes all the sense in the world. I have to tip my hat to Miguel and his team. It’s damn clever.

Here’s an important piece of this. This is a voluntary defense. It’s not mandatory. The WBO can “sanction” this fight BUT what they CAN’T do is force Miguel to agree to these terms.

That’s the bottom line.

Cotto has the luxury to say “if you want the welterweight title Pacquiao then let’s fight at the welterweight limit!” If you just want to fight me for the sake of fighting me then I’ll meet you at 145 lbs as per our verbal agreement. What does Manny say? “I want the welterweight title but I want to change the division’s weight specifications so I have an advantage!” He can’t say that (at least not publicly) and Cotto knows it. Cotto has put the burden on Pacquiao. The WBO as you would expect want the sanctioning fee for this huge fight so of course they’re all for getting this deal done. They’ve already gone ahead and ranked Manny as their #1 contender even though the only fighter Pacquiao has beaten at the weight is Oscar De La Hoya who wasn’t even ranked by the WBO at welterweight. Frankly, De La Hoya wasn’t ranked at welterweight by any sanctioning body. He was ranked only at 154 at the time. The primary reason Manny was awarded the #1 ranking was to legitimize this fight which obviously would put the WBO in line to collect that healthy sanctioning fee. You have to ask yourself “how come the WBO is the only sanctioning body ranking Manny at welterweight?” Are they so much more advanced than the WBA, IBF and WBC in terms of how their rankings work or in their assessment of a fighter OR do they have some kind of financial agenda? I think the answer is fairly obvious.

Now that Cotto is playing hard ball Manny’s goal of winning a 7th world title has unexpectedly added to Cotto’s negotiating power. Miguel is currently holding some very strong cards. He can get a bigger percentage or he can get himself an agreement to weigh in at the welterweight limit. Either way he’s way ahead.

The WBO, Bob Arum and especially Manny Pacquiao have got a mess on their hands. The WBO cannot fix this problem for Arum and Pacquiao.

If the champion (Cotto) relinquishes his title then HOW can the guy he’s fighting win that title? The challenger can’t win it by beating the ex-champion which is what Cotto would be. The WBO would have to designate a fight between #1 and #2 for the vacant title. WBO president Francisco Valcarcel is citing the Oscar De La Hoya-Bernard Hopkins fight which was fought at 158 lbs for Hopkins middleweight crown as it’s precedence for sanctioning this fight but the only problem with that logic is that Hopkins AGREED (voluntary defense) to put his title on the line under those terms. Valcarcel is comparing apples and oranges here. The WBO can’t force Cotto to defend its title at the 145 weight limit. They can “sanction” it but not enforce it. Cotto so far hasn’t agreed to do it and unless Pacquiao is made the mandatory challenger the WBO cannot enforce their own by-law which requires a champion to defend or sign to defend the title by a specified deadline. But, again even if they did do that they still couldn’t drop the welterweight limit down to 145 lbs. That was a side deal made between Cotto and Pacquiao and as far as Cotto is concerned it has NOTHING to do with the WBO. And, he’s right. Cotto is right. Arum and Team Pacquiao have put this fight in jeopardy.

The WBO wants this fight as much Arum does but they can’t get into the realm of dictating terms a fight contract especially if that contract stipulates that their champion fight outside of their OWN acknowledged weight limit. This is all in the hands of Miguel Cotto. The WBO has already done everything they could to set the stage. They’re the only sanctioning body out of the big four who rank Manny at welterweight. The WBC lists him at #1 at 140, the WBA lists him at #2 at 140 and the IBF doesn’t rank him at all in their 140 or 147 lb world rankings. There’s no question as to why. The second Manny Pacquiao and Bob Arum showed interest in fighting Miguel Cotto the WBO suddenly ranked him as their #1 contender. No other sanctioning body would dare rank Pacquiao at welterweight being that he just won the IBO title at 140 lbs. Now, the WBO will come back with the expected “these rankings are at OUR discretion” but it’s at our discretion as fans to say “you guys have zero credibility in these matters!” AND, “we’re not going to support your future world champions because your belt means nothing!”

They’re on shaky moral and ethical ground and they know it.

Miguel Cotto used some pretty strong language in saying “"145 pounds is not a weight class. If the WBO does not like my decision, I will give them back their title. I have no problems with that!" That’s what he recently told Carlos Gonzalez of PrimerHora. If he’s serious then there’s no rationale or ETHICAL way that the WBO can award Manny its welterweight championship should he beat Cotto. There’s no way the WBO can say “yes, Cotto relinquished the title so he no longer represents the WBO as its world champion BUT if you beat him (Manny Pacquiao) then we’ll make you our world champion anyway!”

Bob Arum made some statements early on indicating essentially that this fight didn’t need a title but my sense is he should have checked in with Pacquiao first. Now, he’s got a mess on his hands and very few realistic options.

Team Pacquiao clearly doesn’t want to do business with Shane Mosley who just came short of begging Manny for a fight!

There are a number of good reasons for that but the primary one has to be the beating Shane put on Margarito. Suffice it to say that Roach is more comfortable with Cotto.

But, now Cotto is the one dictating terms and unless Bob Arum can change his mind then he has Manny Pacquiao right where he wants him.

In a corner!

And keeping him there is Miguel Cotto’s best chance at winning.

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The Showdown 07.31.09: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Part 2

Stamina:

It is difficult to knock a man's stamina when he throws as many punches as Pacquiao does. So before I get hate mail claiming that I have about as much Boxing knowledge as one of the kids from "Jon & Kate Plus 8", understand I'm not claiming Pacquiao is weak in this category. Rather, I'm just pointing out that against Marquez and Morales (first fight), Manny lost some crucial rounds down the stretch.

This is in comparison with Floyd Mayweather, who could be described as a fitness fanatic, who regularly spars over 12 rounds with weights attached to him. Also take into account, he has been able to overcome early adversity and use his superior conditioning to take over fights as he did against Ricky Hatton and Zab Judah.

So to all those Pacquiao fans, don't take this as a knock against your boy, but rather an endorsement of the magnificent athletic abilities of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Winner: Floyd Mayweather

Corner:

Since taking over the reigns of his nephew's career, Roger Mayweather has been able to craft Floyd's skills into near perfection. Floyd was always a remarkable talent but early on in his career it seemed the young man simply coasted on natural ability, while he was under the direction of his father, Floyd Sr. Following Roger's ascension, the change in ability was soon apparent as Floyd was able to dominate the overmatched Diego Corrales in a surprising blowout that few could have seen coming.

Freddy Roach and Manny Pacquiao's relationship together follows much of the same story. Roach took a raw talent and turned him into a champion. When Manny hit a brick wall in the form of Erik Morales, he transformed him once again into a more accurate and versatile fighter who currently sits atop the P4P rankings.

So both men have been well served by their trainers but it is hard to go against Freddy Roach in this case. Floyd Mayweather has always been carefully prepared for fights, but Freddy Roach is in a league of his own right now when it comes to his fellow trainers, and I do not know many who would argue that. His career will eventually challenge that of Emmanuel Steward, Ray Arcel, and Angelo Dundee, and if one would want to argue that matter just look at what he has done in the past five years. No disrespect to Roger, but this is not even close. Manny will be as well prepared as he possibly can be when these two finally meet.

Winner: Pacquiao.

So now that we've sifted through several categories, it is time for who I believe will win if these two ever meet up in the ring. This one was not easy, and as I've stated in previous columns, it is sometimes quite hard to try to set aside your own personal feelings/biases, and make an objective choice. Let me start, by saying that Manny Pacquiao is one of the finest ambassadors one could ask for when it comes to this sport. He has been a gentleman both inside and outside the ring, a righteous man who knows his roots, and a pleasure to watch in the ring. Those words would be difficult to say about Floyd Mayweather.

So it pains me to say that I feel Floyd Mayweather is the better fighter at this pint. It's a simple choice to me when one look's at it objectively. Manny may be a monsoon of offense, but he also has problems with aggressive counter punchers as was the case when he fought Juan Manuel Marquez. Would you not say that Floyd's skills are even better than those of Marquez? If you said yes, then it becomes difficult to see how Manny will be able to overcome this obstacle. I think you would see Manny possibly sweep the first three or even four rounds, but as he has done in the past, Floyd will begin to exert himself as the rounds pass. If that happens, Manny will begin to wear down and weaken as he did against Erik Morales in their first meeting and by the time the fight is in the championship rounds, I think Manny will be fighting with nothing but sheer determination and that is not going to get him far against the likes of Money Mayweather. I expect an 11th or 12th round stoppage and once again Floyd Mayweather would be back atop his throne, as the best in the sport.
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Roach advises Floyd: Don’t take Pacquiao fight

Famed trainer Freddie Roach has dispensed Floyd Mayweather Jr. a piece of “advice” on a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao, one that the former pound-for-pound king certainly won’t like.
“Don’t take this fight! Even though this is the fight that all boxing fans want to see, it would not surprise me to see Mayweather fight Mosley instead of Manny,” he told Roach told David Tyler of DoghouseBoxing.com. “Why fight a guy you can’t possibly beat?”
The possible Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown is one fight most boxing fanatics would like to see as it will pit two of the most popular boxers today.
Roach said Mayweather won’t pose any problem against his prized ward.
“He presents no problem for Manny. He is too small and fragile for Manny. He doesn’t have the skills to hurt my fighter,” said the American trainer.
Mayweather is currently preparing for his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 20 while Pacquiao is arranging a match with Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao’s trainer explained, “He is elusive but he can’t move his body. He is very quick with head movement. You break his body down, he has bad hands, bad ribs, bad knee and he’s had rotator cuff surgery.”
“Manny will be applying pressure from the beginning and never let up,” he said of what he thinks will happen in a Pacquiao-Mayweather clash.
“That’s exactly why Mayweather will be an easier opponent than Cotto or (Shane) Mosley or even Marquez. He will use both hands and he is certainly the faster fighter.”
How to beat Cotto
Roach revealed that in two week’s time, he will be laying out to Pacquiao his game plan in beating Cotto.
“In a couple of weeks I will be able to tell Manny how to beat Cotto and he will work on this strategy in the gym,” he said.
The awarded trainer is certain that Pacquiao will prevail in his next fight. But he needs to study more videos of Cotto “to see the fights where he was at his best.”
“This is the only way that I can study his strengths as well as his weaknesses,” reasoned Roach.
Cotto, who hails from Puerto Rico, is the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion. The bout’s catch weight, however, is 145 pounds. This is two pounds less than the welterweight limit of 147.
Pacquiao earlier said he is pushing for a title fight with Cotto, who refused to put his belt at stake because of the sanction fee involved.
Roach said that at present, Pacquiao “has lots of confidence and by that I mean he is not afraid to stand ‘toe to toe’ without backing out of an exchange.”
“Hard to believe but he now hits just as hard with the right hand as he does with his left hand,” he added. With a report from The Philippine Star
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